Bus Driver Fired For Dropping 6-Year-Old Girl Off On Side Of Busy Road

Forsyth County school officials have fired a substitute bus driver said to have dropped a 6-year-old girl off on the side of Canton Highway with no adult present. A spokeswoman for the school district said driver Shelley McKinley’s termination was effective Dec. 16, the day of the incident. The case reportedly resulted from a mix-up over the dropoff point for the student.

Spokeswoman Jennifer Caracciolo said the district expects all drivers to follow bus route safety protocols, and takes action when a child’s safety is compromised. She said the district has apologized to the girl and her family.

District officials also lauded Jan Holmes, a private investigator who stopped and talked to the distraught youngster and eventually delivered her to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. The substitute driver had worked for the district since 2013 and had had no prior incidents.